The Board of County Commissioners of Douglas County, through the Public Works Department, is making available a "user fee" dust control program to interested county residents.
The program consists of applying liquid calcium chloride or magnesium chloride to rock roads typically in front of houses in an effort to reduce dust created by vehicles. Both products consist of a "brine solution" found naturally in various regions of the USA. The products have been found to control dust by attracting moisture from the atmosphere causing dust to "clump" together. This aids in dust control in two ways. First, the road surface tends to form a hard crust that does not have loose dust particles. And second, larger and heavier dust particles do not float about as much.
The cost of this program shall be borne by individual residents who request to participate. The cost to participate is $1.50 per linear foot of roadway treated plus an administrative fee of $60.00 per location. The cost reflects this year’s anticipated market cost of supplying and applying the dust control material as well as approximately 1/2 of the actual cost for road preparation. The $60.00 administrative fee reflects the actual cost of administering the program.
The expected life of dust reduction by this method is about one year, depending on weather, road and traffic conditions. Every reasonable effort will be made to obtain the best practical dust reduction. Many variables influence the effectiveness of dust control, and neither the County nor the Townships warrant the effectiveness of these treatments. Neither refunds nor re-treatment will be made for poor performance, or for reduced performance due to required road maintenance.
This program is made available to all residents in Douglas County living adjacent to public roadways. If the road is township maintained, cooperation with the Township Board is needed to prepare the road prior to application and protect it from blading as long as possible after treatment.
Applications are available online with the Dust Control Application (PDF; fillable/printable) and at the Douglas County Public Works Department at 3755 E. 25th Street. Pre-payment must be received in the Public Works Department office by 5:00 P.M., Friday, March 10, 2023 in order to participate in this program. Any Douglas County resident wishing further information about this program should contact the Douglas County Public Works Department at (785) 832-5293.
